Emanuel Sharp continued his hot start with 27 points to lead host Houston to an 82-67 victory over Florida State on Saturday night as part of the Houston Hoops Showdown.
Sharp was 6-of-10 from 3-point range to lead the No. 8 Cougars (8-1) to their second win in a row, with both coming against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.
Robert McCray V led Florida State (5-4), which lost its third game in a row, with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Houston’s defense set the tone early, helping the Cougars jump out to a 15-3 lead. They never trailed in the game.
For the game, Houston’s pressure helped produce 15 steals and 19 Seminoles turnovers.
The Seminoles, however, battled back early on and kept the game from getting out of hand, closing the gap to 41-35 on a pair of Thomas Bassong free throws early in the second half.
But Houston responded with an 11-2 surge, keyed by Chris Cenac Jr.’s seven points during the run. Cenac Jr. finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, notching the first double-double of his career.
Cenac Jr. has continued to step up in the absence of Jacob McFarland, who is recovering from leg surgery. Kordel Jefferson was the only other player still out on Saturday for the Cougars.
Freshman Kingston Flemings also had 21 points and five assists, as well as eight of Houston’s 15 steals. Meanwhile, Sharp was 10-for-17 from the field and made 6 of 12 three-pointers.
Florida State was without forward Alex Steen due to a minor injury.
The Seminoles were still able to outrebound Houston 37-35, including 16 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points.
But Florida State struggled shooting in the second half, again hampered by Houston’s defense. The Seminoles shot just 10-for-28 (35.7%) from the field over the final 20 minutes and went 4-for-16 from 3-point range.
Chauncey Wiggins recorded 14 points and collected six rebounds for Florida State while Lajae Jones had 12 points and six rebounds.
